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The Woman in Black is the classic tale of a haunted mansion situated upon the outskirts of a secluded village. A young lawyer and our main protagonist, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), is sent to the run-down mansion to take care of the ancient and unorganized paper work left by the old tenants. As soon as Kipps gets to the village, the villagers are infuriated with his presence and make him feel very unwelcome, which builds the mystery for the viewer.

As the story unfolds, the mansion seems to be inhabited by a very angry ghost who is, as you guessed it, a vicious woman dressed in black; the tale in the town is that every time she is seen a child in the village will die in some gruesome way. Arthur is determined to discover why this ghost is taking the lives of the children so ruthlessly, especially because he keeps seeing her and more children are dying in the village.

Horror films are undeniably my favourite genre; they leave audiences very vulnerable and, in my opinion, are one of the truest examples of an emotionally charged genre. Tension builds and builds until the audience can no longer stand it; they sit on the edge of their seats waiting for that horrific release that comes from revealing the always-present threat. If your audience is constantly feeling threatened then you will have a successful, memorable horror experience. Because horror is my favourite genre, I was really excited to review this film, but after the credits rolled so did my eyes.

Director James Watkins (Eden Lake) leads this project with class. His choice of camera movements were clean and clear yet they left me feeling bored. Watkins builds up the tension until it is almost unbearable. The musical score guides the audience towards the mediocre “pop-out” scare tactic, unfortunately the scares get old by the middle of the film and started becoming even more predictable as the film goes on. Marco Beltrami (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Blade 2, The Hurt Locker) composed the original scores, and without his musical guidance audiences would not have known when to feel tense and the scares would not have been as frightening, unless you’re idea of a good scare involves close-ups of creepy wind-up dolls and empty rocking chairs that keep rocking away without anyone living sitting in them.

The cinematography is what I loved the most about this film. Tim Maurice-Jones (Snatch) was the cinematographer on this project and he was able to capture amazing, smooth helicopter shots of the location, which created the mysterious tone felt throughout the film. The mansion is situated on a marsh and the tide determines when you leave; the only way in or out of the property is this long, winding road that is usually covered by aggressive water. The mystery was amplified with the cohesive framing of certain areas of the mansion. The long dark hallway was a key area for the film because of all the different encounters that happen and all the different doors that Kipps could open and explore.

In conclusion, this film was a typical twenty first century horror film. I haven’t been scared while watching a horror film in a really long time and The Woman in Black didn’t do it for me either. I couldn’t help but glance at my watch once or twice anticipating the conclusion of the mediocre ending. Then ending and conclusion of a horror film is why I am a filmmaker myself: the creativeness of the director is pushed to his or her limits and the possibilities are endless. I was left disappointed and looking for more. Save your money for the rental.

2 out of 5 stars

-Andrea Boulet

The rotating strikes which were supposed to affect many Montreal daycare centres on Thursday were called off as reported by CTV.

On Wednesday night the union representing the daycare workers announced that talks have advanced. This led to the union calling off the walkout as well as those which were scheduled to take place this Monday and Tuesday.

The daycare workers have been holding rotating walkouts over the past ten days to pressure the government to step up negotiations.

The workers have been without a contract for 2 years.

Flickr photo by: University of Saskatchewan

Just two hours before polls were set to open for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations general election, Chief Electoral Officer Chris Webster resigned.

“It kind of surprises everyone, no one saw this coming,” said VP Internal Schubert Laforest. 

According to Annex A, the bylaws that govern ASFA elections, the executive must take over an election in the circumstance that a CEO is absent. Laforest and President Alex Gordon immediately acted to set up the polling booths, but were one hour late to start.

Laforest said that Webster resigned due to “the atmosphere of the elections” and because of a Judicial Committee decision yesterday that accused the CEO of illegally allowing candidate Eric Moses Gashirabake to change his candidacy from VP Internal to VP Academic and Loyal Affairs. The JC ruled that Moses Gashirabake will be docked 65 votes off of his total for the infraction and will not receive reimbursement for one fifth of his campaign expenses.

Jeansil Bruyere, candidate for VP Academic and Loyola Affairs, filed the complaint. Now instead of running unopposed, Bruyere is running against Moses Gashirabake.

Laforest said that Webster did not agree with the decision, but was not at risk of losing his job over it.

“During the hiring process [Webster] seemed like the most capable and competent candidate their was and everyone on council who appointed him really had high hopes,” said Gordon.

This is the second ASFA CEO to resign this year. Marvin Cidamon resigned in October after being accused of violating Annex A during the fall by-election.

“I fear in the back of my mind that [candidates] might commit [violations] at this moment in time, but it wouldn’t be the CEO who would see it, it would be him who would deal with it after the fact,“ said Gordon. “If a contestation does come up it would go to the JC, so there are still bodies in place that could take measures if need be.”

ASFA general elections continue until Friday. Students can vote in the Hall or Library buildings and at Loyola campus.

If students see suspicious activity during polling, they are encouraged to contact the JC or the media.